Rotatable Electrical Connector

ABSTRACT

A connecting system for an electronic device is disclosed herein. The connecting system may comprise a connector port including an alignment feature and two or more conductive traces corresponding to contacts of a dock interface. The connector port may be rotatable relative to the dock interface with at least two conductive traces arranged in a manner such that the contacts are maintained in contacting relation with the conductive traces along a contact path when the electronic device is rotated relative to the dock interface. The connector port may further include one or more nonconductive separating spaces that separate the at least two conductive traces along the contact path. The connecting system may comprise a rotation stop arranged such that the contacts are prevented from having contacting relation with conductive traces other than a conductive trace to which the contact corresponds and with which the contact is aligned.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic devices and, moreparticularly, to a connecting system for an electronic device such as asmart phone.

BACKGROUND

An increasing number of portable electronic devices have been developedin recent years. Such portable electronic devices include smart phones,tablets, media players, navigation systems, and a variety of otherportable electronic devices. Such electronic devices typically includeone or more connecting ports for linking the electronic device to dataand power via an external cable. In order to minimize their size,weight, and cost, such portable electronic devices typically have arelatively small battery with limited battery capacity. The limitedbattery capacity of such portable electronic devices forces users torecharge the battery using the external cable. The physical connectionbetween the electronic device and the external cable requires carefulattention by the user to align the external cable with the exactlocation of the connector port on the electronic device. In addition,the user must carefully orient the connector for successful engagementto the connector port on the electronic device.

Many users frequently operate their portable electronic devices in avariety of different environments. For example, many users use theirsmart phones at home, at the office, and while travelling in anautomobile or on public transportation. Whether at home, at work, or ina vehicle, it is often advantageous to support an electronic device in aclearly visible position while the user performs other activities. Inaddition, it is advantageous to support the electronic device in asecure manner. Of the multitude of mounts available on the market,mounts that securely support the electronic device unfortunately requirea two-handed operation to insert the electronic device in position onthe mount. For mounts that allow for battery charging, the connection tothe electronic device is often performed via a connecting port whichrequires two-handed operation for careful alignment of the connectingport with an external cable. The external cable and bulky mount alsoadds visual and physical clutter to the area where the electronic deviceis used.

Many device manufacturers have standardized the connecting ports to besimilar across at least each manufacturer's series of smart devices, ifnot across the whole industry. The standardization of the connectingports is convenient for the consumer because it allow for the connectionand charging of different devices using a single cable configuration.Unfortunately, this convenience is lost when a user needs to mount theirdevice for battery charging or for hands-free operation due to the factthat most charging mounts are either specific to a device, or the mountrequires two-handed adjustment of the mount so that the mount willaccept the device.

Now that smart devices play such an important role in many people'slives, it becomes a great nuisance when such smart devices fail toperform due to lack of battery power. In this regard, it has becomeincreasingly desirable for device and accessory manufacturers to providea viable solution to the limited battery power for portable electronicdevices. One attempt at solving the problem includes wireless chargingtechnology. Wireless technology is now available as an accessory formany smart devices in the way of a specialized case, and as a built-inoption. Although certain wireless charging arrangements offer a meansfor charging an electronic device, such wireless charging arrangementsalso have a number of inherent drawbacks. One such drawback is the factthat the wireless charging of a battery creates heat which reduces thelife of the battery. In addition, current wireless charging technologyis slower than conventional charging methods. Furthermore, wirelesscharging technology lacks a means for sending data to the electronicdevice during the charging operation. In addition, current wirelesscharging technology is not understood to allow for rotation of anelectronic device from portrait mode (e.g., vertical orientation) tolandscape mode (e.g. horizontal orientation) while maintaining the powerand data transfer capability.

The consumer electronic industry is moving toward fewer connector portson devices by combining the functions of what previously took multipleconnectors into one. This result in connectors with an ever growingarray of conductors to carry various high speed data lines such as USB 3and HDMI as well as power. While simpler connectors such as headphonejacks allow rotation while being connected there isn't a compactconnector available that combine easy connection and the ability torotate while staying connected in a compact yet conductor dense design.

In light of the above-noted limitations, the prior art includes severalattempts to overcome deficiencies associated with the connecting andmounting of electronic devices and, more particularly, the connecting ofsmart devices such as smart phone and tablets. For example, U.S. Pat.No. 7,582,828, issued to Ryan, discloses a system and method formounting an electrical device on a wall. The electrical device has amount and a base. The base connects to an electrical outlet on asurface, and has a first electrical connector, and a magnetic faceplate. The electrical device has a magnet and a second electricalconductor that are positioned so that the magnet mates with the magneticface plate, and the second electrical connector mates with the firstelectrical connector.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,565,363, issued to Downing, discloses a modular jacksystem that utilizes magnetic attraction to draw a plug into a jack andthen maintain it therein. The modular jack system utilizes plug and jackhaving at least one pair of cooperating magnets polarized so that themagnets on the plug are drawn to the magnets on the jack thereby pullingthe plug into the proper connected position and maintaining it therein.The system is shown to be adaptable for use with other applications suchas coaxial cable connections to replace the threaded and slip-on types.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,391, issued to Mathauser, discloses a magneticself-aligning electrical connector comprising a pair of connector orcoupling halves each having electrical contact means therein and one ofsaid coupling halves having magnetic means therein disposed oppositemeans in said other coupling half for cooperation with said magnet meansto hold said coupling halves together with the electrical contact meansin electrically conducting contacting relationship with one another,said electrical contact means in one of said coupling halves mounted formovement relative to the coupling half to insure alignment between theelectrical contact means even though the coupling halves are misaligned.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,577, issued to Mathauser, discloses aquick-disconnect, magnetic, self-aligning telephone jack or othercommunication equipment connection, including a male connector half anda female connector half, each with self-aligning magnetic means thereinto hold the male and female halves together and cooperating electricalcontact means in the male and female connector halves to establishelectrical connection between a telephone or other communicationequipment and a source of electrical energy.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,019,698, issued to Thiers, discloses a mounting systemfor an electronic device that may include a dock interface assembly anda case assembly. The dock interface assembly may include a dock housinghaving one or more contacts. The case assembly may include an alignmentfeature and a case printed circuit board having one or more conductivetraces corresponding to the contacts. The dock interface assembly and/orthe case assembly may have a metallic element configured complementaryto one or more magnets provided with a remaining one of the dockinterface assembly and the case assembly for magnetic coupling of thecase assembly to the dock interface assembly. The dock housing may beconfigured to be received by the alignment feature such that at leastone of the contacts is electrically coupled to a corresponding one ofthe conductive traces.

Although some of the above-referenced patents disclose a means ofconnecting electronic devices, none of the references are understood todisclose an arrangement addressing all of the above-mentioned drawbacksassociated with the power and data connection of the electronic device.More specifically, none of the above-mentioned references are understoodto disclose a conductor dense connection which remains connected duringrotation.

As can be seen, there exists a need in the art for a connecting systemfor an electronic device that allows a conductor dense connection whichremains connected during rotation. Furthermore, there exists a need inthe art for a connecting system for an electronic device that canaccommodate a variety of different types of electronic devices.Additionally, there exists a need in the art for a connecting system foran electronic device that eliminates the clutter associated with loosecables. Also, there exists a need in the art for a connecting system foran electronic device that provides the same speed of charging and datatransmission that is available with conventional cables. Finally, thereexists a need in the art for a connecting system that allows for simpleone-handed movement to securely install and connect the electronicdevice.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connecting system for twoelectronic devices such as smart phones and including a dock interfaceassembly for magnetically coupling with the electronic devices;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the connecting system highlighting thecorrelation between the connector port conductive traces on electronicdevice and the dock contacts;

FIG. 3 is a top view of various embodiments of the electronic deviceconnector port interface showing various numbers of traces andnonconductive trace separating spaces;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the connecting system rotated to its rotationallimits, highlighting the rotation stop features;

FIG. 5 is a top view of the connecting system rotated to its rotationallimits, highlighting the movement of the contacts with respect to thetraces;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective illustration of the case assembly andan exploded perspective illustration of the dock assembly;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional illustration of a case assembly beingmagnetically coupled to the dock interface assembly rotated past therotational stop to highlight its position while outside the rotationallimits;

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a connecting system for twoelectronic devices such as a Lightning compatible device and a Micro-USBcompatible device with a dock interface assembly for magneticallycoupling with the electronic devices, as well as two cable used totransmit data and power;

FIG. 9A is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofthe invention where an electronic device and a dock are mechanicallycoupled;

FIG. 9B is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofthe invention where an electronic device and a dock are magneticallycoupled via a non-round interface;

FIG. 10 is an exploded illustration of an electronic device in thecontext of being used on a dock interface assembly built into thedashboard of an automobile;

FIG. 11 is an exploded illustration of an electronic device, such as asmart phone, and a large electronic device, such as a laptop computer,in the context of being used on dock interface assemblies built into thesurface of a conference room table;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details are set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. It will be apparent, however,that the present invention may be practiced without these specificdetails. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are shownin block diagram form in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring thepresent invention.

The deficiencies and drawbacks associated with conventional connectingsystems for electronic device are specifically addressed and alleviatedby a connecting system as disclosed herein and which may incorporate adock interface assembly. The dock interface assembly may include a dockhousing having one or more contacts. The electronic device assembly mayinclude an alignment feature and a connector port having one or moreconductive traces corresponding to the contacts. The dock interfaceassembly and/or the electronic device assembly may have a mechanicalcoupler that is arranged to latch when properly aligned or a magneticcoupler that is arranged to magnetically couple the dock and electronicdevice when properly aligned. The dock housing may be configured to bereceived by the alignment feature such that at least two of the contactsare electrically coupled to corresponding ones of the conductive traces.In addition the electronic device may be arranged to stop rotation pasta threshold degree of rotation such that two or more conductive tracesare prevented from changing the contacting relation from one contact toa different contact.

Although the connecting system of the present disclosure may beconfigured for use on any electronic device requiring a removableelectrical connection, the connecting system is described in the contextof a dock interface assembly equipped with a round-shaped magnet holderwhich surrounds a set of spring-loaded electrical contacts. Thespring-loaded electrical contacts may be assembled in radial arrangementand may include a contact being electrically couplable to a centerconductive trace, with successive contacts being aligning with matchingconductive traces on the case printed circuit board of the electronicdevice original case assembly or on a separate protective casesurrounding the electronic device. The dock interface assembly may bebuilt into product such as tables and automotive dashboards or be usedin conjunction with an adjustable mount that may be mounted on a desk,clamped to a handlebar of a bicycle, or any one of a variety of otherembodiments.

In an embodiment, the connecting system may include a dock interfaceassembly including a dock housing containing one or more magnets and oneor more contacts protruding from the dock housing. The connecting systemmay include a case assembly having an alignment feature, a metallicring, and a case printed circuit board having one or more conductivetraces corresponding to the contacts. The metallic ring may beconfigured complementary to an arrangement of the magnets for magneticcoupling of the metallic ring to the dock interface assembly. The dockhousing may have an outer perimeter configured to be received by thealignment feature such that each one of the contacts engages acorresponding one of the conductive traces. The contacts may beconfigured to be electrically coupled to the conductive traces of thecase printed circuit board. The case assembly may be arranged to stoprotation past a threshold degree of rotation such that two or moreconductive traces are prevented from changing the contacting relationfrom one contact to a different contact.

In a further embodiment, disclosed is a connecting system for a smartphone. The connecting system may include a dock interface assemblyincluding a dock housing containing one or more magnets arranged in acircular array, the dock housing containing one or more contactsprotruding from the dock housing. The case assembly may have a coverwhich may include an alignment feature configured as a circular opening,a metallic ring disposed within the circular opening, and a case printedcircuit board circumscribed by the metallic ring and having one or moreannular conductive traces corresponding to the contacts. The metallicring may be configured complementary to an arrangement of the magnetsfor magnetic coupling of the metallic ring to the dock interfaceassembly. The dock housing may have a circular outer perimeterconfigured to be received by the alignment feature such that each one ofthe contacts engages a corresponding one of the conductive traces. Thecontacts may be configured to be electrically coupled to the conductivetraces of the case printed circuit board. The case printed circuit boardmay include a connector configured to engage a connector port of theelectronic device. The contacts may be coupled to a cable transmittingat least one of power or data to the contacts, into the conductivetraces, through the connector and into the electronic device while theelectronic device is magnetically coupled to the dock interface assemblyand during rotation thereof. The connector port may be equipped with afeature allowing limited rotational range such that two or moreconductive traces are prevented from changing the contacting relationfrom one contact to a different contact. The dock may have a matchingrotational stop feature designed to fit within the rotational rangefeature of the case assembly. The rotational stop feature may be shapedto provide the user with a referent to the rotation limit and may bedesigned to allow the user to rotate the electronic device past thelimit but be designed in such a way as to prevent two or more conductivetraces from changing the contacting relation from one contact to adifferent contact.

In an embodiment, the connecting system includes a connector port thatis rotatable relative to the dock interface with at least two conductivetraces arranged in a manner such that the contacts are maintained incontacting relation with the conductive traces along a contact path whenthe electronic device is rotated relative to the dock interface. Theconnector port may further include one or more nonconductive separatingspaces that separate the at least two conductive traces along thecontact path.

In an embodiment, the connecting system includes a rotation stoparranged such that the contacts are prevented from having contactingrelation with conductive traces other than a conductive trace to whichthe contact corresponds and with which the contact is aligned. Therotation stop may prevent rotation of the connector port (and theelectronic device) past a threshold degree such that the two or moreconductive traces are prevented from changing the contacting relationform one contact to a different contact.

The features, functions and advantages that have been discussed can beachieved independently in various embodiments of the present disclosure,or may be combined in yet other embodiments, further details of whichcan be seen with reference to the following description and drawingsbelow

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes ofillustrating various embodiments of the present disclosure, shown inFIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a connecting system 12 for afirst electronic device 14 a and a second electronic device 14 b andincluding a dock interface assembly 40 for magnetically coupling withthe electronic devices 14. In the embodiment shown, the electronicdevices 14 a and 14 b are configured as smart phones 15 a and 15 b.However, the connecting system 12 as disclosed herein may be implementedon any one of a variety of different configurations of electronicdevices 14, and is not limited to implementation on a smart phone 15.The connecting system 12 may include a dock interface assembly 40 towhich the electronic device 14 and/or a case assembly 20 may bemagnetically coupled. The dock interface assembly 40 may include amagnet holder 46 and/or one or more magnets 48. The case assembly 20which may include a metallic element 26 such as a metallic ring.Advantageously, the magnetic attraction between the magnets 48 and themetallic element allows for use of the dock interface assembly 40 in avariety of different environments including environments where there issignificant vibration.

In an embodiment, the dock interface assembly 40 may be used on a base116 backed with double sided foam tape 63 for mounting to a variety ofsurface, such as a wall. In a further embodiment, the dock interfaceassembly 40 may be directly mounted on a surface such as an automobiledashboard 120 such as for vehicle use. The dock interface assembly 40may also be used within the surface of a table 122 such as a conferenceroom table for charging and/or connecting electronic device 14 forscreen sharing purpose. However, the dock interface assembly 40 may beincorporated for use in any one of a variety of different environmentsand applications, and is not limited to the above-described embodimentsfor wall use, vehicle use, and conference room use. In situations wherethere is a high risk of the magnetic attraction being broken and theelectronic device 14 being knocked off of the dock interface assembly40, a wrist strap (not shown) may be used on the case assembly 20 via awrist strap hole 29 that may be included with the case assembly 20 ofthe electronic device 14. The wrist strap (not shown) may be placedaround the base 116 prior to mounting the electronic device 14. If theelectronic device 14 is knocked off of the dock interface assembly 40,the electronic device 14 will be retained by the wrist strap (notshown).

The dock interface assembly 40 may include one or more contacts 50. Thecontacts may protrude from the dock housing 41. In an embodiment, thecontacts 50 may be spring-loaded, although the contacts 50 may beprovided in a non-spring-loaded arrangement (not shown). The caseassembly 20 may include an alignment feature 25, the metallic element26, and a case printed circuit board (PCB) 30, together forming aconnector port 10. As indicated above, one end of the case PCB 30 mayhave one or more conductive traces 32 which may be arranged tocorrespond to the contacts 50. An opposite end of the case PCB 30 mayinclude a connector assembly 36 which may be electrically coupled to theconductive traces 32 via internal wires (not shown). The connectorassembly 36 may be configured to engage a connector port 16 of theelectronic device 14. As indicated above, the conductive traces 32 maybe annularly-shaped and may be exposed to an exterior on the electronicdevice 14 such as on a case housing 24 of the case assembly 20 as shownin FIG. 1. Although the conductive trace 32 are shown asannularly-shaped in FIG. 1 they may be provided in other shapes andsizes, and is not limited to a ring shape.

In FIG. 1, the connector port 10 including an alignment feature 25 andtwo or more conductive traces 32 corresponding to contacts 50 of a dockinterface assembly 40. The conductive traces 32 are shown as beingdivided by nonconductive separating spaces 58 that separate conductivetraces 32 along the contact path 7 of the contacts 50 when theelectronic device 14 is rotated about the dock interface assembly 40.The dock interface assembly 40 may include a rotation stop 61 designedto travel within a rotation range 60 that may be built into the caseassembly 20. The rotation stop 61 may be arranged such that the contacts50 are prevented from having contacting relation with conductive traces32 other than a conductive trace 32 to which the contact 50 correspondsand with which the contact is aligned.

In FIG. 1, the contacts 50 may protrude from the dock housing 41 and maybe arranged in such a manner that each one of the contacts 50 is alignedwith a conductive trace 32 of the printed circuit board 30 of the caseassembly 20. As described in greater detail below, the connecting system12 may include an alignment feature 25 for aligning the contacts 50 withthe conductive traces 32 when the electronic device 14 is magneticallycoupled to the dock interface assembly 40. In an embodiment, the dockhousing 41 or magnet holder 46 may have a corresponding alignmentfeature such as an outer perimeter configured to be received by thealignment feature 25 of the case assembly 20 such that each one of thecontacts 50 may engage a corresponding conductive trace 32 of the casePCB 30.

In FIG. 1, the alignment feature 25 of connector port 10 may comprise acircular opening 23 or a circular depression that may be formed in therear cover 24 of the case assembly 20. However, the alignment feature 25may be provided in other configurations. The dock housing 41 or magnetholder 46 may have a shape configured to engage the alignment feature.For example, the magnet holder or dock housing may have a circular outershape that may be sized and configured to nest within the circularopening 23 of the rear cover 24. One or more of the conductive traces 32may have a circular configuration, an annular configuration, or aring-shaped configuration, although the conductive traces 32 may beprovided in other shapes such as in arcuate shapes (not shown) of lessthan 360 degrees. The conductive traces 32 may be arranged in a mannersuch that the contacts 50 are maintained in contacting relation with theconductive traces 32 while following the contact path 7 when theelectronic device 14 is rotated relative to the dock interface assembly40. In this manner, the contacts 50 may be substantially continuouslyelectrically coupled to the conductive traces 32 to allow the electronicdevice to receive continuous power and/or data while the electronicdevice 14 is rotated about the dock interface assembly 40 within therotation range 60. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 the rotation range60 is designed to allow ninety degrees of rotation, such as to rotatethe electronic device 14 from portrait orientation to landscapeorientation, although the rotation range 60 may be provided with adifferent rotation range. The contacts 50 may be spring-loaded such thatthe contacts 50 are maintained in continuous contacting relation withthe conductive traces 32 during rotation of the electronic device 14relative to the dock interface assembly 40.

The connector port 10 of the present disclosure represents a significantimprovement over prior art connecting systems 12 for electronic devices14. More specifically, in the present disclosure, the contacts 50 may bearranged as to allow the electronic device 14 to rotate relative to thedock interface assembly 40 while maintaining continuous engagementbetween the contacts 50 and the conductive traces 32. As indicatedabove, the dock interface assembly 40 may include the dock housing 41and/or the magnet holder 46 which may have a generally round or circularshape to engage with a corresponding circular feature. As indicatedabove, the circular feature may comprise the circular opening 23 orcircular depression that may be formed in the rear cover 24 of the caseassembly 20. In this regard, the magnet holder 46 may advantageously actas a locator to facilitate the alignment of each contact 50 with itscorresponding conductive trace 32. Although FIG. 1 illustrates thecontacts 50 in a radially linear arrangement, the contacts 50 may beprovided in any arrangement including a non-linear arrangement.

Although the connecting system 12 of the present disclosure may beimplemented for use with any type of housing for any type of electronicdevice 14, one embodiment may have the connecting port 10 mounted insidethe case assembly 20 which itself is mounted on the first electronicdevice 14 a. An alternative embodiment the second electronic device 14 bmay have its connector port 10 directly applied to an outside surface ofits outer case as its primary means of data, music, and/or power orcharging connection, and thereby eliminating the need for an externalcase assembly. The conductive traces 32 on the printed circuit board 30may be directly built into the case housing 24 of the second electronicdevice 14 b, as opposed a separate case assembly 20 covering the firstelectronic device 14 a. As described below, the locating surface 25 mayalso be built into the second electronic device 14 b to allow for properalignment of the conductive traces 32 with the contacts 50 of the dockinterface assembly 40.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the connecting system 12 including thedock interface assembly 40 having contacts 50 for engaging acorresponding number of conductive traces 32 formed on a printed circuitboard integrated into a case assembly 20 for use on a smart phone 14.Although ten (10) contacts 50 and eleven (11) conductive traces 32 areshown, any number of contacts 50 and conductive traces 32 may beprovided. As indicated above, the contacts 50 and the conductive traces32 may cooperate to facilitate transmission of power and/or data from anexternal cable 90 and into the electronic device 14. In this regard,power and/or data may be transmitted through a universal serial bus(USB) cable 90, through the contacts 50, into the conductive traces 32,and into the smart phone 14 via the connector 36, all while theelectronic device 14 (e.g., smart phone 15) is magnetically coupled tothe dock interface assembly 40. FIG. 2 further highlight possibleelectrical path 72 that the electrical signal may take going from eachrespective contact 50 to each corresponding trace 32. As highlighted, aplurality of traces may be design to come in contact with a singlecontact 50, as to for example combine multiple ground traces or anyother purpose.

FIG. 3 illustrates a plurality of embodiment of the traces 32 and thenonconductive separating spaces 58. However, traces 32 and thenonconductive separating spaces 58 may be incorporated for use in anyone of a variety of different environments and applications, and is notlimited to the above-described embodiments. As indicated above, althoughthe traces 32 may have a generally round or circular shape to complementthe corresponding placement of the contacts 50, the traces 32 may beprovided in any arrangement including a non-circular arrangement. Asshown in FIG. 3, the nonconductive separating spaces 58 may divide theotherwise annular shaped traces 32 into a multitude of smaller traces,as for example to fit more electrical path 72 into a limited space. Thenonconductive separating spaces 58 may comprise an air gap and/or may bea nonconductive separating material such as plastic and otherinsulators.

Referring to FIG. 3, connector 1 has a comparatively low number oftraces. Connector 1 includes four traces: one in the center with thesurface in the form of a circle, and three traces that form a ringaround the circle and axis of rotation. There are three nonconductiveseparating spaces between the different traces that form the ring.Connector 2 and connector 3 show different arrangements having with agreater number of traces. Each of these connectors has a plurality ofconcentric rings around the center axis, with each ring being formed bya plurality of conductive traces and nonconductive separating spacesbetween each conductive trace. Connector 4, connector 5, and connector 6depict different arrangements of traces and splits, where eacharrangement has a different number of traces and nonconductiveseparating spaces. In connector 4, each ring has two conductive tracesthat are split by corresponding nonconductive separating spaces. Inconnector 5, each ring is split in three, and in connector 6, each ringis split in five. Thus the arrangement of the traces and nonconductiveseparating spaces may vary from implementation to implementation.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of the connecting system 12 where thecase assembly 20 is rotated on the dock interface assembly 40 fromportrait orientation to landscape orientation about an axis of rotation70. As the case assembly 20 is rotated the contacts 50 follow a contactpath 7 on the traces 32 as illustrated. Although only one contact pathis depicted (contact path 7), conceptually there may be three separatecontact paths for contacts 50: one that follows the inner ring of thetraces 32, one the follows the middle ring, and one that follows theouter ring, The dock interface assembly 40 may include a rotation stop61 designed to travel within a rotation range 60 that may be built intothe case assembly 20. The rotation stop 61 may prevent contacts 50 fromtraversing the nonconductive separating spaces 58 along the contact pathand having contacting relation with another conductive trace other thanthe conductive trace with which the contact is aligned and to which thecontact corresponds. Thus, each contact may maintain continuouscontacting relation with a single conductive trace during rotation.

In FIG. 5 the conductive traces 32 are shown as being divided bynonconductive separating spaces 58 that separate conductive traces 32along the contact path 7 of the contacts 50 when the electronic device14 is rotated about the dock interface assembly 40. The rotation stop 61may be arranged such that the contacts 50 are prevented from havingcontacting relation with conductive traces 32 other than a conductivetrace 32 to which the contact 50 corresponds and with which the contactis aligned. Traces 32 form a surface that substantially surrounds theaxis of rotation 7, where the surface is split by nonconductiveseparating spaces between the at least two conductive traces. Whentraces 32 rotate around the center of axis, the corresponding contactsmay change the contact position along the corresponding trace such thatthe contact is maintained in contacting relation at a first locationwhen the electronic device is in a first rotational position (e.g.,landscape mode) and at a second location when the electronic device isin a second rotational position (e.g., portrait mode).

Advantageously, the present arrangement of the dock interface assembly40 and conductive traces 32 provides a means for providing continuouspower and/or continuous data to the electronic device 14 when theelectronic device 14 is rotated relative to the dock interface assembly40. In this regard, the electronic device 14 is rotatable relative tothe dock interface assembly 40 when the metallic element 26 ismagnetically coupled to the magnets 48 of the dock interface assembly40. For example, a user may rotate the electronic device 14 between avertical orientation (e.g., portrait mode) such as for reading adocument displayed on the electronic device 14, and a horizontalorientation (e.g., landscape mode) such as for watching a videodisplayed on the electronic device 14.

FIG. 6 is an exploded view of an embodiment of the dock interfaceassembly 40 and the case assembly 20. As indicated above, the magnetholder 46 may include a plurality of magnets 48 that create the magneticattraction to the metallic element 26 of the case assembly 20. When thedock interface assembly 40 is fastened to base 116 for used in anautomobile or for home use, the magnetic attraction allows forconvenient one-handed operation to mount the electronic device 14 to thedock interface assembly 40. In this regard, the connecting system 12disclosed herein provides a significant advantage over the prior art byproviding the ability to mount the electronic device 14 by simplypositioning the case assembly 20 onto the dock interface assembly 40causing the spring-loaded contacts 50 to make a data connection and/or apower connection between the electronic device 14 and the dock interfaceassembly 40.

In FIG. 6 as indicated above, the dock interface assembly 40 may includea magnet holder 46 configured to house or retain a plurality of themagnets 48. The magnets 48 may be pressed into one or more magnetpockets that may be formed on a back side of the magnet holder 46. In anembodiment, the magnets 48 may be mechanically retained or adhesivelybonded to the magnet holder 46. In a further embodiment, the magnetholder 46 may be configured such that the magnets 48 are slidablyremovable from the magnet holder 46 to allow for reconfiguring thequantity, position, and orientation of the magnets 48. However, othermeans can be used to provide the coupling between the case assembly 20and the dock interface assembly 40, and is not limited to magneticcoupling via the magnet holder 46 embodiment disclosed herein, but couldinstead be accomplished via mechanical means as described in FIG. 9Abelow.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the dock interface assembly 40 includes thedock housing 41 which may be integrally formed with a threadedconnection as to allow base 116 to be easily attached or alternativelyused to fasten the dock interface assembly 40 to other external mountdesign, such as a tripod. The bottom of the dock housing 41 may beequipped with a rubber pad 65 to help prevent loosening under vibration.The contacts 50 may be coupled to a printed circuit board 52 of the dockinterface assembly 40. In an embodiment, the contacts 50 may protrudefrom a printed circuit board 52 of the dock interface assembly 40. Theprinted circuit board 52 may be coupled to a cable 66 to carrieselectric signals to a dock connector PCB 64 fitted with industrystandard connectors and/or proprietary socket connector as to allowconnection to and external cable such as a USB cable 90. The dockconnector PCB 64 may be held inside the dock housing 41 by screws 67. Asdescribed in more detail in FIG. 9 the various embodiment for the dockconnector PCB 64 may be used such as a first dock connector PCB 64 athis simple pass through PCB design with little or no electroniccomponents. Alternatively a second connector PCB 64 b design may be useto allow electronic switching of electrical signals, which may beadvantageous to allow multiple electronic device 14 to share a limitednumber of contacts 50.

As illustrated in FIG. 6 the spring-loaded contacts 50 may protrudethrough the magnet holder 46. The magnet holder 46 may advantageously beinstalled in a manner allowing for direct contact between the magnets 48and the clamping ring 44 connected to the dock housing 41 via screws 45.This direct contact results in greater strength of magnetic attractionbetween the clamping ring 44 and the magnets 48 than strength of themagnetic attraction between the magnets 48 and the metallic element 26of the case assembly 20. In this manner, the magnet holder 46 may remainattached to the clamping ring 44 without the use of mechanicalfasteners. The lack of mechanical fasteners provides a convenient meansfor replacing or reconfiguring the magnetic holder 46 with a differentconfiguration of magnets 48 such as to provide more or less magneticattraction to the metallic element 26.

In addition FIG. 6 illustrate an exploded view of case assembly 20. Inan embodiment a traces enclosure assembly 42 may feature a single casehousing 24 that is fastened to the electronic device 14 by a doublesided adhesive tape 34. To keep the overall high minimal the metallicelement 26 and the case printed circuit board may be held in place by anepoxy glue (not shown) retained in the case housing 24 by a label 28constructed with a foam layer as to comply with case housing 24 internalsurface. For a more durable assembly the connector assembly 36 may beproduced by molding a flexible rubber material 27 over a flexibleprinted circuit board 47 and having the same flexible rubber material 27permanently encapsulate a connector plug 54. The connector plug 54 maybe made of metal as to allow insertion into the electronic deviceconnector port 16.

FIG. 7 is a cross section of the connecting system 12 through the axisof rotation 70 with the case assembly 20 purposely shown rotated to haveits rotation range 60 moved past the rotation stop 61 of the dockinterface assembly 40. In the described embodiment the rotation stop maybe shaped as to create a gap 80 between one or more contact 50 and trace32. The described gap 80 may be used with intentional placement of thepower or data line as to create an open circuit and avoid incorrectconnection to take place.

FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a connecting system 12 for twoelectronic devices 14 such as a Lightning compatible device 96 and aMicro-USB compatible device 98. In this embodiment a dock interfaceassembly 40 may be used for magnetically coupling with the electronicdevices 14, as well as a Lightning cable 92 which may plug into a firstdock connector port 18 a, as well as a Micro-USB cable 91 which may pluginto a second dock connecting port 18 b. The external cables 90described may be used to transmit data and/or power when plugged intothe dock connector ports 18. In one embodiment the dock interfaceassembly 40 could be assembled with the first dock connector PCB 64 amade with an electrical routing allowing all the different electricalsignal lines from the Lightning compatible device and Micro-USBcompatible device to use separate contacts 50 and conductive traces 32.This configuration may use more contacts 50 but will yield a first dockconnector PCB 64 a with little or no electrical components such asresistors, capacitor or integrated circuitry (IC). In a differentembodiment the second dock connector PCB 64 b may be used in the dockinterface assembly 40 to reduce the number of contacts 50 and conductivetraces 32 when two electronic devices 14 of different wiring standardsare to share the same dock interface assembly 40. In this embodiment thesecond dock connector PCB may be populated with electronic components,such as resistor, capacitors, integrated circuitry (IC),multiplexer/demultiplexer (mux/demux), of other type of appropriatecomponents to electronically switch the signals lines so one or more canshare the same contact 50 across electrical devices 14. In yet anotherembodiment the dock interface assembly 40 may use a physical switch (notshown) such as a toggle switch to reduce the numbers or contacts 50while still being able to use the dock interface assembly 40 acrossdifferent electronic devices 14. In another embodiment the reduction iscontacts 50 may be achieved by sharing certain electrical lines of theLightning cable 92, such as the USB data+ (D+), the USB data− (D−) andground, with the use of a separate plug (not shown) located between theLightning cable 92 USB-A plug and the charger or computer. The separateplug (not shown) may bring power to the dock interface assembly 40 via aseparate external line plugged into the second dock connector port 18 b.

FIG. 9A is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofthe connecting system 12 where the electronic device 14 and the dockinterface assembly 40 may be held together by a mechanical couplingsystem 84 a. In this embodiment the rotation stop 61 may be built intothe mechanical locking mechanism. The conductive traces 32 and contacts50 may be placed away from the axis of rotation 70 as to allow forsimpler mechanical designs, such as collars with simple round shaft helpin place by a single fastener.

FIG. 9B is an exploded perspective view of an alternate embodiment ofthe connecting system 12 where the electronic device 14 and the dockinterface assembly 40 may be held together by a square shaped couplingsystem 84 b. The contacts 50 may be designed to have enough telescopictravel range as to maintain contact with the electronic device 14 duringrotation. The traces 32 may be shaped as to complement the shape of thealignment feature or any other cosmetic need.

FIG. 10 is an exploded illustration of the electronic device 14 in thecontext of being used on a dock interface assembly 40 built into thedashboard 120 of an automobile.

FIG. 11 is an exploded illustration of the electronic device 14 such asa smart phone 15 and a large electronic device 8 such as a laptopcomputer, in the context of being used on dock interface assemblies 40built into the surface of a conference room table 122.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have beendescribed with reference to numerous specific details that may vary fromimplementation to implementation. The specification and drawings are,accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictivesense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the invention,and what is intended by the applicants to be the scope of the invention,is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue fromthis application, in the specific form in which such claims issue,including any subsequent correction.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connecting system for an electronic device, comprising: a connector port including an alignment feature and two or more conductive traces corresponding to contacts of a dock interface; the connector port being rotatable relative to the dock interface with at least two conductive traces arranged in a manner such that the contacts are maintained in contacting relation with the conductive traces along a contact path when the electronic device is rotated relative to the dock interface; and the connector port including one or more nonconductive separating spaces that separate the at least two conductive traces along the contact path.
 2. The connecting system of claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive traces have an annular configuration arranged such that at least two conductive traces form a first ring, the first ring having a nonconductive separating space between different conductive traces that are part of the first ring.
 3. The connecting system of claim 2, wherein the annular configuration includes a plurality of concentric rings that include the first ring, the plurality of concentric rings substantially circumscribing the axis of rotation.
 4. The connecting system of claim 2, wherein the first ring includes a first conductive trace, a second conductive trace, and a third conductive trace; the first ring having a first nonconductive separating space between the first conductive trace and the second conductive trace, a second nonconductive separating space between the second conductive trace and a third conductive trace, and a third nonconductive separating space between the third conductive trace and the first conductive trace.
 5. The connecting system of claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive traces are arranged such that at least two conductive traces form a first circle, the first circle having a nonconductive separating space between different conductive traces that are part of the first circle.
 6. The connecting system of claim 1, wherein at least two of the two or more conductive traces form a surface that substantially surrounds an axis of rotation, the surface split by nonconductive separating spaces between the at least two conductive traces.
 7. The connecting system of claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive traces are arranged such that for at least two conductive traces, a corresponding contact is maintained in contacting relation at a first location when the electronic device is in a first rotational position and at a second location when the electronic device is in a second rotational position.
 8. The connecting system of claim 1, wherein the alignment feature comprises at least one of a mechanical coupler that is arranged to latch to the dock when properly aligned or a magnetic coupler that is arranged to magnetically couple to the dock when properly aligned.
 9. The connecting system of claim 1, wherein the two or more conductive traces are coupled to a connector plug, the connector plug arranged to couple to a second connector port that is part of the housing of the electronic device to link the electronic device to data and power received through the dock interface.
 10. A connecting system for an electronic device, comprising: a dock interface including a dock housing having two or more contacts and a rotation stop; the two or more contacts corresponding to conductive traces of a connector port; the two or more contacts arranged in a manner such that the contacts are maintained in contacting relation with the conductive traces when the connector port is rotated relative to the dock interface; and the rotation stop arranged such that the contacts are prevented from having contacting relation with conductive traces other than a conductive trace to which the contact corresponds and with which the contact is aligned.
 11. The connecting system of claim 10, wherein the contacts are coupled to a cable for transferring at least one of power and data through the contacts and into the conductive traces of the connector port.
 12. The connecting system of claim 10, wherein the dock interface includes a first port and a second port, wherein the first port is arranged to couple the two or more contacts to a first type of cable and the second port is arranged to couple the two or more contacts to a second type of cable.
 13. The connecting system of claim 12, wherein the dock interface includes at least one of a mechanical or electrical switch that controls which port is actively coupled to the two or more contacts.
 14. The connecting system of claim 13, wherein the at least one of the mechanical or electrical switch automatically switches based on what type of electronic device is coupled through the connector port.
 15. The connecting system of claim 12, wherein the dock interface includes at least one of a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, a Lightning port, or a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI) port.
 16. The connecting system of claim 10, wherein the two or more contacts are arranged such that at least two contacts maintain contacting relation with at least two corresponding conductive traces that form a first ring when the connector port is coupled to the dock interface, the first ring having a nonconductive separating space between different conductive traces that are part of the first ring.
 17. The connecting system of claim 10, wherein the two or more contacts are arranged such that the two or more contacts maintain contacting relation with a plurality of conductive traces arranged as a plurality of concentric rings that are positioned around an axis of rotation.
 18. The connecting system of claim 1, wherein the alignment feature comprises at least one of a mechanical coupler that is arranged to latch when the dock interface and the connector port are properly aligned or a magnetic coupler that is arranged to magnetically couple when the dock interface and the connector port are properly aligned.
 19. A mounting system for an electronic device comprising: a dock interface including a dock housing having a mount, two or more contacts and a rotation stop; a connector port including an alignment feature and two or more conductive traces corresponding to contacts of the dock interface; the connector port being rotatable relative to the dock interface while mounted to the dock interface with the two or more conductive traces arranged in a manner such that the contacts are maintained in contacting relation with the conductive traces when the electronic device is rotated relative to the dock interface; and the two or more of the conductive traces being positioned around substantially the same axis of rotation the rotation stop preventing rotation of the connector port past a threshold degree such that the two or more conductive traces are prevented from changing the contacting relation form one contact to a different contact.
 20. The mounting system of claim 19, wherein the connector port includes one or more nonconductive separating spaces that separate the at least two conductive traces along a contact path. 